Original Smoked Lapsang Souchong

Our traditionally handcrafted Lapsang Souchong Black Tea, or Red Tea in China, has subtle smoky notes of pine wood and incense that is warm and complex with natural resins and a dried Longan fruit sweetness. The leaves produce an exquisite golden orange colour liquid. This is smooth drinking has a pleasant feeling when you feel the liquid pass through your throat and mouth.

Our Lapsang Souchong Black Tea or Red Tea is processed by the original method of using smouldering pine woods in a purposely built 3-storey wooden house which is called “Qing Lou”.  The smouldering pine fire generates smoke containing vaporised amber essence that is absorbed by tea leaves, giving the typical pine smoke flavour and making the dried leaves to the lustre dark reddish colour.

This is a very relaxing tea to drink specially in a late afternoon when you are exhausted from work and you just want to enjoy a nice cup of tea without thinking too much. It’s also a nice tea to drinking after eating oily food as it can wash away the oil from your mouth.

TEA ORIGIN: Tongmu Village, Wuyi Mountain, Fujian Province, south-east of China

CULTIVAR: Camellia Sinensis Sinensis, small-leaf cultivars.

HARVEST TIME AND PROCESS: top 3 young leaves are plucked in the early May, carefully oxidised fully until leaves' colour turn to copper, then teas are slowly dried in the smoking room.

BREWING TIPS

Normal approach:

95˚C | 1g for 100ml | infuse for 2 mins | refill water for more brews

Gong Fu Approach:

Water temperature: 95˚C

Leaves to water ratio: 5g for 100ml

1^st & 2^nd infuse: 20 secs

3^rd & 4^th infuse: 30 secs

5^th & 6^th infuse: 50 secs

Gongfu brewing yields quite a different taste profile from the normal way.  Infusion time is quite critical to get the right sweet flavour. Do experiment with this tea and see which suits your preference better.